Aster faces fury over soaring Shepherds Row charges

Residents in an Andover housing block say they feel "bullied, ripped off and trapped" by housing association Aster over steeply rising service charges and a £145,000 chimney and roof scheme they claim is not justified by the condition of the buildings.

Leaseholders in Shepherds Row say their bills have climbed sharply over the past decade, with some items more than doubling, and accuse Aster of failing to show how the money is being spent.

They have compiled a dossier for the Housing Ombudsman arguing many charges are not "reasonably incurred" and do not represent value for money.

Resident Shaban Afzal, who has lived in the block for more than ten years, has gone through past accounts and says communal electricity charges "simply do not add up".

Basement area inside the Aster housing block flats (Image: Shaban Afzal)

He says costs almost doubled after Aster replaced permanently lit communal lighting with sensor controlled units which should have reduced usage.

He said: "If the old lights were on 24 hours a day and the new ones only come on when someone walks past, the bill should be a fraction of what it was not twice as much. It feels like someone is just plucking numbers out of the air".

He is also distressed about what residents are being charged for "communal internal cleaning". Mr Afzal said: "They mop a small area just in front of the doors on each landing, but they do not do the basement floor. Two floors are shiny, one long one is not and we are paying 109. Are you kidding me?"

He says residents used to sweep and mop the stairs themselves until Aster wrote to say it was "disappointed" people were not cleaning their areas and then introduced a paid contract.

Mr Afzal said: "We started getting charged and we started getting robbed. They do not need to come and clean because they are not even doing it properly."

The biggest flashpoint is a proposed programme of chimney and roof works which residents say would leave each leaseholder facing a bill in the region of 12,500. Mr Afzal has taken drone photographs of the roofs and chimney stacks and says they show no obvious defects.

"There's no movement, no missing bricks, no visible damage," he said.

Chimney on top of the flats (Image: Shaban Afzal)

Residents compare the current proposals to an earlier Aster case elsewhere where leaseholders were initially told to pay 30,000 each towards roof repairs, only for a court to later cut the figure to around 1,600 per flat.

"If they had not challenged it, they would have paid the full 30 grand," one Shepherds Row leaseholder said. "That's why we are so worried about what's happening here".

They say they have been told the scheme for two entrances cost around £15,000 in total. "The old doors were fine and already fireproof," one resident said. "Now it's harder to get furniture in and out, and people who work in the trade have told us that's two or three times what it should be."

Leaseholder Barry Smith says the way Aster handles both billing and communication has left many residents anxious. "They do things first and send the letters afterwards," he said. "You are just waiting for the next bill to drop."

Rafal Baranski said that he would rather residents organise repairs themselves and agree any major works and costs up front.

He said: "We would rather get three quotes ourselves, agree the work and split it fairly. At least then we would know exactly what we are paying for."

A spokesperson for Aster said: “We know how important it is for customers to feel safe in their homes. We’ve identified essential works at this building, including roof repairs, external decoration and door improvements, to ensure it meets expected safety and quality standards.”

They added the organisation aims to deliver value for money while minimising disruption and being transparent about costs. “Our financial wellbeing team is on hand to discuss support options, including repayment plans,” they said.

The spokesperson said a Section 20 consultation is carried out before work begins, giving residents the chance to raise concerns, and encouraged anyone with issues to get in touch directly.

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